US20150128051A1

Movatterモバイル変換

Info

Publication number: US20150128051A1
Application number: US14/070,133
Authority: US
Inventors: Philip Noel George Strain; William Kenneth Robin Montgomery
Original assignee: Google LLC
Current assignee: Google LLC
Priority date: 2013-11-01
Filing date: 2013-11-01
Publication date: 2015-05-07
Also published as: US20200084116A1; WO2015066336A1; US20210081084A1

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for delivering informational events to a user of a computing device includes a processor and a memory. The method includes receiving, into the memory from the user of the computing device, content configuration information defining a first informational element. The method also includes receiving, into the memory from the user of the computing device, trigger event configuration information associated with a trigger event. The method further includes receiving, into the memory from the user of the computing device, target display interface configuration information defining a target display interface. The method also includes determining, by the processor, that the trigger event is satisfied based on the trigger event configuration information. The method further includes automatically retrieving the first informational element based on the content configuration information when the trigger event is satisfied. The method also includes transmitting the first informational element to the target display interface.

Description

BACKGROUND

This specification relates to delivering informational events to a user and, more particularly, to methods and systems for user-configurable delivery of informational events to one or more computing devices and other display interfaces accessible by the user, wherein informational events include presenting one or more elements of data to the user.

Internet users and other consumers of data may regularly visit the Internet or other data sources to consume information such as news events or articles, financial events such as current stock prices, or other data that evolves, changes, or occurs during the user's day or week. Each user may gravitate to certain sources based on the particular user's interests. For example, a user desiring financial market data because of an interest in an investment portfolio may access an Internet data source that provides regular updates to stock or bond prices. Some users may visit these data sources many times per day. The task of having to access these data websites periodically throughout the day can be time consuming, and can provide information to the user in an untimely manner

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

In one aspect, a computer-implemented method for delivering informational events to a user of a computing device is provided. The computing device includes a processor and a memory. The method includes receiving, into the memory from the user of the computing device, content configuration information defining a first informational element. The method also includes receiving, into the memory from the user of the computing device, trigger event configuration information associated with a trigger event. The method further includes receiving, into the memory from the user of the computing device, target display interface configuration information defining a target display interface. The method also includes determining, by the processor, that the trigger event is satisfied based on the trigger event configuration information. The method further includes automatically retrieving the first informational element based on the content configuration information when the trigger event is satisfied. The method also includes transmitting the first informational element to the target display interface.

In yet another aspect, computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon are provided. When executed by at least one processor, the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to receive content configuration information defining a first informational element. The computer-executable instructions also cause the processor to receive trigger event configuration information associated with a trigger event. The computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to receive target display interface configuration information defining a target display interface. The computer-executable instructions also cause the processor to determine that the trigger event is satisfied based on the trigger event configuration information. The computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to retrieve the first informational element based on the content configuration information when the trigger event is satisfied. The computer-executable instructions also cause the processor to transmit the first informational element to the target display interface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1-5 show example embodiments of the methods and systems described herein.

FIG. 1 is a diagram depicting an example networked environment for configuring and delivering informational events by an informational event presentation system.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a computing device used for configuring and delivering informational events to users in the networked environment shown inFIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of a user configuring an example informational event within the informational event presentation system shown inFIG. 1 using a computing device similar to the computing devices shown inFIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is an example method for configuring the informational event presentation system shown inFIGS. 1 and 3 and delivering informational events to a user using the computing devices shown inFIGS. 1-3.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of components of an example informational event presentation system similar to the IEPS shown inFIGS. 1 and 3.

Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

Embodiments of the methods and systems described herein enable users to configure delivery of informational events of interest to their computing devices. More specifically, the methods and systems described herein facilitate configuration and delivery of “informational events” based on a plurality of parameters. An “informational event” is an event that presents one or more “informational elements” to the user through the user's computing device, where the informational element is the data being presented. In one example embodiment, a user configures an informational event based on at least three parameters: (1) the type of information that will be displayed (i.e., the “informational element”); (2) the conditions under which the event will happen (i.e., the “trigger event conditions”); and (3) where and how the information will be presented (i.e., the distribution mechanism or “display interface” used to present the event). As such, when all of the configured conditions are met (i.e., once the trigger event conditions are true), the informational element will be presented to the user on the configured display interface (i.e., one of the user's computing devices).

In some embodiments, the trigger event conditions are configurable based on a plurality of criteria such as, for example, a particular time schedule (e.g., “Mondays at 7 pm”), a current location of the user or the user's computing device (e.g., “at home” or “at work”), and when engaged in an activity (e.g., “running” or “on the bus”). Further, the display interface may be selected from a plurality of display interfaces associated with the user such as, for example, through a particular application on the user's smartphone, or through the user's social media application, through an interface with the user's specific computing device such as their tablet computer or their wearable computing device. As such, the user is able to configure what data they want to receive, precisely under what conditions they want to receive the data, and through what display mechanism they want to receive the data.

The following detailed description illustrates embodiments of the disclosure by way of example and not by way of limitation. It is contemplated that the disclosure has general application to displaying informational events to users regardless of the type of computing device used for displaying the informational events.

As used herein, an element or step recited in the singular and proceeded with the word “a” or “an” should be understood as not excluding plural elements or steps, unless such exclusion is explicitly recited. Furthermore, references to “one embodiment” of the present disclosure are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features.

FIG. 1 is a diagram depicting an example networkedenvironment100 for configuring and delivering informational events by an informational event presentation system (IEPS)106.Networked environment100 includes consumers of information, such asusers150. In the example embodiment,users150 consume information through the use of the IEPS106 and computing devices such as user access devices108. The IEPS106 may be performed with one or more user access devices108, or may also involve other computing components such as those shown inFIG. 1.

User access devices108 may be, for example, desktop computing devices, tablet computing device, smartphones, and wearable computing devices. The user access devices108 are communicatively coupled to anetwork110, such as the Internet, and access information from data sources such as

data source

102 and104 and/or an information management system (IMS)114 through thenetwork110.

Data sources

102 and104 are computing system that provides data onnetwork110 that may be consumed byusers150. In some embodiments,data source102 provides web content on the Internet throughweb servers112. In other embodiments,data source104 provides data from adatabase server118 and adatabase124 using a communications gateway such as, for example, an application programming interface (API), calling a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), writing information to a database or datastore, a remote procedure call (RPC) across a network, or via a communications protocol such as Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP).

In the example embodiment, user access devices108 may also interact with IMS114, which includes aninformation service system116 and adatabase126. IMS114 may include one or more data processing systems, such as servers or embedded systems, coupled to thenetwork110. It may also include one or more processes, such as server processes.IMS114 is communicatively coupled tonetwork110 and may store information and/or perform management tasks associated with delivery of informational events to theusers150, as described in greater detail below with respect toFIG. 3.

IMS

114 may include or access one or more crawling, indexing, searching and/or retrieving modules (not shown inFIG. 1). These modules may collect data associated with informational elements that are presented tousers150 as a part of informational events. These modules may browse accessible resources (e.g., the World Wide Web, publisher content, data feeds, etc.) to identify, retrieve, index and store information. The modules may browse information and create copies of the browsed information for subsequent processing. The modules may also check links, validate code, harvest information, and/or perform other maintenance or other tasks. The modules may search information from various resources, such as the World Wide Web, publications, intranets, newsgroups, databases, and/or directories. The search modules may employ one or more known search, retrieval, or other processes to search and retrieve data. In some implementations, the modules may index crawled content and/or content received from data feeds to build one or more search indices. The search indices may be used to facilitate rapid retrieval of information relevant to a search query.

IMS

114 may include one or more interface or frontend modules for providing the various features to

data sources

102 and104,users150, user access devices108, and/orIEPS106. For example, theIMS114 may provide one or more APIs for allowing user access devices108 and/orIEPS106 to interact withIMS114. In some examples, the front-end interfaces may be configured as web applications that provide users with network access to features available fromIMS114.

Further, each of the

elements

102,104,106,108,110 and114 inFIG. 1 may be implemented or associated with hardware components, software components, or firmware components or any combination of such components. The

elements

102,104,106,108,110 and114 can, for example, be implemented or associated with general purpose servers, software processes and engines, and/or various embedded systems. The

elements

102,104,106,108,110 and114 may serve, for example, as an information distribution network.

“Computing devices” such as, for example, user access devices108 may include any devices capable of receiving information from thenetwork110. The user access devices108 could include general computing components and/or embedded hardware or software systems optimized with specific components for performing specific tasks. Examples of user access devices include personal computers (e.g., desktop computers), mobile computing devices, cell phones, smart phones, head-mounted and other wearable computing devices, media players/recorders, music players, game consoles, media centers, media players, electronic tablets, personal digital assistants (PDAs), television systems, audio systems, radio systems, removable storage devices, navigation systems, set top boxes, other electronic devices and the like. The user access devices108 can also include various other elements, such as processes running on various machines.

Thenetwork110 may include any element or system that facilitates communication among and between various network nodes, such as

elements

108,112,114 and116. Thenetwork110 may include one or more telecommunications networks, such as computer networks, telephone or other communications networks, the Internet, etc. Thenetwork110 may include a shared, public, or private data network encompassing a wide area (e.g., WAN) or local area (e.g., LAN). In some implementations, thenetwork110 may facilitate data exchange by way of packet switching using the Internet Protocol (IP). Thenetwork110 may facilitate wired and/or wireless connectivity and communication.

For purposes of explanation only, certain aspects of this disclosure are described with reference to the discrete elements illustrated inFIG. 1. The number, identity and arrangement of elements in theenvironment100 are not limited to what is shown. For example, theenvironment100 can include any number of geographically-dispersed

data sources

102 and104 and/or user access devices108, which may be discrete, integrated modules or distributed systems. Similarly, theenvironment100 is not limited to asingle IEPS106 andIMS114 and may include any number of integrated or distributed IEPS and/or IMS systems or elements.

Furthermore, additional and/or different elements not shown may be contained in or coupled to the elements shown inFIG. 1, and/or certain illustrated elements may be absent. In some examples, the functions provided by the illustrated elements could be performed by less than the illustrated number of components or even by a single element. The illustrated elements could be implemented as individual processes running on separate machines or a single process running on a single machine.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of acomputing device200 used for configuring and delivering informational events to users in networked environment100 (shown inFIG. 1). In some embodiments,computing device200 may be one or more of the various computing devices in networking environment100 (shown inFIG. 1) and/orIEPS106.FIG. 2 shows an example of ageneric computing device200 intended to represent various forms of digital computers, such as laptops, desktops, workstations, personal digital assistants, servers, blade servers, mainframes, and other appropriate computers.Computing device200 is also intended to represent various forms of mobile devices, such as personal digital assistants, cellular telephones, smart phones, tablet computers, wearable computing devices, and other similar computing devices. The components shown here, their connections and relationships, and their functions, are meant to be examples only, and are not meant to limit implementations of the subject matter described and/or claimed in this document.

In the example embodiment,computing device200 could be user access device108 or any of

data processing devices

112,114, or116 (shown inFIG. 1).Computing device200 may include abus202, aprocessor204, amain memory206, a read only memory (ROM)208, astorage device210, aninput device212, anoutput device214, and acommunication interface216.Bus202 may include a path that permits communication among the components ofcomputing device200.

Processor

204 may include any type of conventional processor, microprocessor, or processing logic that interprets and executes instructions.Processor204 can process instructions for execution within thecomputing device200, including instructions stored in thememory206 or on thestorage device210 to display graphical information for a GUI on an external input/output device, such asdisplay214 coupled to a high speed interface. In other implementations, multiple processors and/or multiple buses may be used, as appropriate, along with multiple memories and types of memory. Also,multiple computing devices200 may be connected, with each device providing portions of the necessary operations (e.g., as a server bank, a group of blade servers, or a multi-processor system). In some embodiments,processor204 is transformed into a special purpose microprocessor by executing computer-executable instructions or by otherwise being programmed. For example,processor204 may be programmed with instructions such as illustrated inFIG. 4.

Main memory

206 may include a random access memory (RAM) or another type of dynamic storage device that stores information and instructions for execution byprocessor204.ROM208 may include a conventional ROM device or another type of static storage device that stores static information and instructions for use byprocessor204.Main memory206 stores information within thecomputing device200. In one implementation,main memory206 is a volatile memory unit or units. In another implementation,main memory206 is a non-volatile memory unit or units.Main memory206 may also be another form of computer-readable medium, such as a magnetic or optical disk.

Storage device

210 may include a magnetic, electronic, and/or optical recording medium and its corresponding drive. Thestorage device210 is capable of providing mass storage for thecomputing device200. In one implementation, thestorage device210 may be or contain a computer-readable medium, such as a floppy disk device, a hard disk device, an optical disk device, or a tape device, a flash memory or other similar solid state memory device, or an array of devices, including devices in a storage area network or cloud-based storage or other configurations. A computer program product can be tangibly embodied in an information carrier. The computer program product may also contain instructions that, when executed, perform one or more methods, such as those described above. The information carrier is a computer- or machine-readable medium, such asmain memory206,ROM208, thestorage device210, or memory onprocessor204.

The high speed controller manages bandwidth-intensive operations for thecomputing device200, while the low speed controller manages lower bandwidth-intensive operations. Such allocation of functions is for purposes of example only. In one implementation, the high-speed controller is coupled tomain memory206, display214 (e.g., through a graphics processor or accelerator), and to high-speed expansion ports, which may accept various expansion cards (not shown). In the implementation, low-speed controller is coupled tostorage device210 and low-speed expansion port. The low-speed expansion port, which may include various communication ports (e.g., USB, Bluetooth, Ethernet, wireless Ethernet) may be coupled to one or more input/output devices, such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a scanner, or a networking device such as a switch or router, e.g., through a network adapter.

Input device

212 may include a conventional mechanism that permitscomputing device200 to receive commands, instructions, or other inputs from auser150, including visual, audio, touch, button presses, stylus taps, etc. Additionally, input device may receive location information. Accordingly,input device212 may include, for example, a camera, a microphone, one or more buttons, a touch screen, and/or a GPS receiver.Output device214 may include a conventional mechanism that outputs information to the user, including a display (including a touch screen) and/or a speaker.Communication interface216 may include any transceiver-like mechanism that enablescomputing device200 to communicate with other devices and/or systems. For example,communication interface216 may include mechanisms for communicating with another device or system via a network, such as network110 (shown inFIG. 1).

As described herein,computing device200 facilitates the presentation of at least a configuration interface to a user for configuring and displaying informational events.Computing device200 may perform these and other operations in response toprocessor204 executing software instructions contained in a computer-readable medium, such asmemory206. A computer-readable medium may be defined as a physical or logical memory device and/or carrier wave. The software instructions may be read intomemory206 from another computer-readable medium, such asdata storage device210, or from another device viacommunication interface216. The software instructions contained inmemory206 may causeprocessor204 to perform processes described herein. Alternatively, hardwired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions to implement processes consistent with the subject matter herein. Thus, implementations consistent with the principles of the subject matter disclosed herein are not limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software.

Thecomputing device200 may be implemented in a number of different forms, as shown in the figure. For example, it may be implemented as a standard server, or multiple times in a group of such servers. It may also be implemented as part of a rack server system. In addition, it may be implemented in a personal computer such as a laptop computer. Each of such devices may contain one or more ofcomputing device200, and an entire system may be made up ofmultiple computing devices200 communicating with each other.

Theprocessor204 can execute instructions within thecomputing device200, including instructions stored in themain memory206. The processor may be implemented as chips that include separate and multiple analog and digital processors. The processor may provide, for example, for coordination of the other components of thedevice200, such as control of user interfaces, applications run bydevice200, and wireless communication bydevice200.

Computing device

200 includes aprocessor204,main memory206,ROM208, aninput device212, an output device such as adisplay214, acommunication interface216, among other components including, for example, a receiver and a transceiver. Thedevice200 may also be provided with astorage device210, such as a micro-drive or other device, to provide additional storage. Each of the components are interconnected using various buses, and several of the components may be mounted on a common motherboard or in other manners as appropriate.

Computing device

200 may communicate wirelessly throughcommunication interface216, which may include digital signal processing circuitry where necessary.Communication interface216 may provide for communications under various modes or protocols, such as GSM voice calls, SMS, EMS, or MMS messaging, CDMA, TDMA, PDC, WCDMA, CDMA2000, or GPRS, among others. Such communication may occur, for example, through radio-frequency transceiver. In addition, short-range communication may occur, such as using a Bluetooth, WiFi, or other such transceiver (not shown). In addition, a GPS (Global Positioning system) receiver module may provide additional navigation- and location-related wireless data todevice200, which may be used as appropriate by applications running ondevice200.

Computing device

200 may also communicate audibly using an audio codec, which may receive spoken information from a user and convert it to usable digital information. The audio codec may likewise generate audible sound for a user, such as through a speaker, e.g., in a handset of device. Such sound may include sound from voice telephone calls, may include recorded sound (e.g., voice messages, music files, etc.) and may also include sound generated by applications operating oncomputing device200.

Computing device

200 may be implemented in a number of different forms. For example, it may be implemented as a cellular telephone, or as part of a smart phone, personal digital assistant, a computer tablet, or other similar mobile device.

To provide for interaction with a user, the systems and techniques described here can be implemented on a computer having a display device (e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor) for displaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointing device (e.g., a mouse or a trackball) by which the user can provide input to the computer. Other kinds of devices can be used to provide for interaction with a user as well; for example, feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback (e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback); and input from the user can be received in any form, including acoustic, speech, or tactile input.

The systems and techniques described here can be implemented in a computing system (e.g., computing device200) that includes a back end component (e.g., as a data server), or that includes a middleware component (e.g., an application server), or that includes a front end component (e.g., a client computer having a graphical user interface or a Web browser through which a user can interact with an implementation of the systems and techniques described here), or any combination of such back end, middleware, or front end components. The components of the system can be interconnected by any form or medium of digital data communication (e.g., a communication network). Examples of communication networks include a local area network (“LAN”), a wide area network (“WAN”), and the Internet.

The computing system can include clients and servers. A client and server are generally remote from each other and typically interact through a communication network. The relationship of client and server arises by virtue of computer programs running on the respective computers and having a client-server relationship to each other.

In the example embodiment,computing device200 is configured to store informational events that include informational elements from various other computing devices connected tocomputing device200 through a communication network, and display those informational events on a display interface such asoutput device214.Computing device200 is further configured to manage and organize these events using at least one ofmemory206,storage device210, andROM208 using the techniques described herein.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of auser302 configuring an exampleinformational event310 within an informational event presentation system (IEPS)306 using acomputing device304 similar to the computing devices shown inFIGS. 1 and 2. In the example embodiment, theIEPS306 is executed by a computing device such as, for example,computing device304, IMS114 (shown inFIG. 1), user access devices108 (shown inFIG. 1), and/or computing device200 (shown inFIG. 2). Theuser302 configures theinformational event310 through interaction withIEPS306. Theinformational event310 is an event that presents one or more “informational elements”322 to the user through one of the user's computing device, such ascomputing device304 or user access devices108. The computing device used to configure theinformational element310 may be the same computing device on which the informational element is presented, or a different computing device may be used for presentation of theinformational event310.

In the example embodiment, theinformational event310 includes three major configuration elements: content configuration information320 (i.e., the type of information that will be displayed), trigger event configuration information330 (i.e., the conditions under which the event will happen), and target display interface configuration information340 (i.e., the distribution mechanism or the “where and how” theinformational element322 will be presented).

Content configuration information

320, in the example embodiment, includes at least oneinformational element322 that describes the information to be displayed during theinformational event310. Theinformational element322 may include reference to one or moreexternal data sources324 such as, for example, a publicly accessible web site from a web server such as web server112 (shown inFIG. 1), or adatabase server118 that provides access to data of interest through, for example, an API, or an information service system (IMS) server116 (shown inFIG. 1) that provides customized informational elements forusers302 of the IMS114 (shown inFIG. 1). Further, theinformational element322 and/or thecontent configuration information320 may enable content “scraping” from the variousexternal data sources324. In other words, the content retrieved fromdata sources324, when first retrieved by computingdevice304, may initially contain a superset of data of which only a subset is desired to be viewed by the user (i.e., only a portion of the data may be “scraped” from the full content and presented as the informational element322). In some embodiments,content configuration information320 may include content from other devices belonging to the user, such as, for example, GPS location, images, or acceleration from a mobile computing device. Further,content configuration information320 may include informational elements that may be computed, such as time and public holidays. In other embodiments,content configuration information320 may include statistical data from, for example, web analytics tools, such as providing advertisement data.

In some embodiments,IEPS306 performs data gathering functions of theinformational element322. In other embodiments, theserver116 of a client-server based system, such as shown in theenvironment100 shown inFIG. 1, may perform the data gathering functions necessary forinformational element322. In still other embodiments, multipleinformational elements322 may be present within a single informational event310 (i.e., when theinformational event310 occurs, theuser302 receives multiple elements of data, perhaps even from multiple sources).

Triggerevent configuration information330, in the example embodiment, includes one or moretrigger event conditions332. Thetrigger event conditions332 generally describe the conditions that will cause theinformational event310 to occur (i.e., the conditions that will cause theinformational element322 to be displayed to the user302). In the example embodiment, theuser302 selects one or moretrigger event conditions332 from a list of available types of conditions. The list of condition types may include, for example, a time of day, or one or more ranges of time, and referencing, for example, specific dates, or days of the week, or every day, or days of the month, such as “at 7:00 pm on Mondays” or “every day after 7:00 pm”.

In the example embodiment, the list of condition types also includes a travel mode of theuser302 and/or a mobile computing device associated with the user, such as through collection of geo-location data associated with the user and/or computing device, or through inference based on use of various computing devices. For example, geo-location data may be collected from a global positioning system (GPS) associated with a mobile computing device, and a travel mode condition may include conditional data such as “currently at work”, or “currently commuting”, or “currently walking/jogging”. The travel mode may include data based on estimated starting and/or ending locations, such as “currently commuting from work to home”, which may be inferred through historical data correlated with recent data from, for example, a GPS of the user's302 mobile computing device. As used herein, the term “travel mode” may include not only information associated with users in transit, but may also refer to locational positions of users. For example, theuser302 may configure aninformational event310 to include a grocery store list of needed items when the user is in close proximity to the selected grocery store. As such, a present locational position from a mobile computing device's GPS system may be correlated with a GPS location of a grocery store, and thus the “travel mode” may alert “when near grocery store” (e.g., when within a pre-determined threshold distance from grocery store's GPS location).

The list of condition types, in the example embodiment, also includes an activity condition associated with theuser302 and/or one or more of the

computing devices

304 and344. An activity condition may be any condition that is sensible or otherwise determinable by the computing devices associated with theinformational event310. For example, theuser302 may wear or otherwise carry a mobile computing device that has access to vital statistics of theuser302, such as heart rate. As such, an activity condition may be based on the heart rate or other vital statistics of the user302 (e.g., the activity of “exercising” may be configured to be true when heart rate is over a pre-determined threshold).

In some embodiments, conditions may also include external events and/or information-based events such as, for example, if a stock price of a stock in the user's investment portfolio moves by a pre-determined amount, or if the number of visitors to the user's website suddenly decreases. Some external events/information-based events of others may trigger events of the user. For example, if the user is socially connected to a friend, the user may configure and receive alerts when that friend arrives at a location or replies to an invitation. Additionally, the events may be configured to target a preferred display forum of the user. For example, if the user's stock changes more than a pre-determined amount, the user may want to receive notification through their wearable computing device, but if a friend replies to an invitation, the user may want to receive the notification via and email update.

In the example embodiment,trigger event conditions332 are truth evaluated to determine whether and whenIEPS306 presents theinformational event310 to the user302 (i.e., wheninformational event310 “occurs”). For example, a time-basedtrigger event condition332 of “at 7:00 pm on Mondays” is evaluated as “true” during one minute on each Monday of the week (i.e., between 7:00:00 pm and 7:00:59 pm on every Monday), and otherwise evaluates to “false”. A travel mode-basedtrigger event condition332 such as, for example, “currently at work” or “currently walking”, is evaluated as “true” at the specific times when, for example, the user's mobile computing device is detected and evaluated as in that state.

In some embodiments, thetrigger event conditions332 may be subject toBoolean logic334 in order to determine a single truth value for one or moretrigger event conditions332. For example, in some embodiments, theuser302 may configure a singletrigger event condition332 as negated byBoolean logic334, such as “not” “currently at work” (i.e., the informational event would occur once the condition “currently at work” is not true, or in other words, is false). In some embodiments,multiple trigger events332 may be combined together withBoolean logic334. For example, theuser302 may wish to receive theinformational element322 during his evening commute from work to home, but the information may only be available after 7 pm. As such, theuser302 may configure two trigger events and combine them together, such as “after 7:00 pm” “and” “currently commuting”, where the “and” represents theBoolean logic334 used to combine multiple truth values into a single truth value for the entire informational event. As such, triggerevents332 may be combined usingBoolean logic334 using logical operators commonly known in the art.

Target displayinterface configuration information340, in the example embodiment, includes a list of available display interfaces342 in which theinformational event310 may be presented to the user302 (i.e., display mediums in which theinformational element322 may be presented). The list ofdisplay interfaces342, in some embodiments, includesspecific computing devices304 and/or344 associated with theuser302. For example, theuser302 may be associated with a desktop computer and/or several portable computing devices, such as a smartphone and a laptop, a tablet computing device, and/or a wearable computing device (e.g., computer glasses). In other embodiments, the list of display interfaces342 includes display interfaces that are not device-specific (i.e., that are not necessarily associated with a specific computing device). For example, the list ofdisplay interfaces342 may include display interfaces such as an email address (e.g., the user may receive an email as the “display” of informational element322), a social media site (i.e., the user may receive theinformational element322 through their social media account), or a messaging service (i.e., the user may receive a text message through, for example, a cellphone). Alternatively, any such display interface that enables the systems and methods described herein may be used.

In some embodiments, a graphical user interface is presented to theuser302 on a computing device such ascomputing device304. The user configuresinformational event310 through use of the graphical user interface. In some embodiments, theuser302 is presented with a list including a plurality of target display interfaces, and theuser302 selects, by the user via the graphical user interface, a target display interface from the plurality of target display interfaces. The selected target display interface is thereby included in the target display interface configuration information.

During configuration, in some embodiments, theuser302 configures an informational event such asinformational event310. More specifically, theuser302 configures: (1)content configuration information320 including at least oneinformational element322; (2) triggerevent configuration information330 including one ormore trigger events332 and optionallyBoolean logic334; and (3) a selection of one or more display interfaces from the list of available display interfaces342. In some embodiments, configuration information forinformational event310 may be stored on one or more personal computing devices of theuser302, such ascomputing device304 and/or344. In other embodiments, configuration information forinformational event310 may be centrally stored by a server system such as IMS114 (shown inFIG. 1). Alternatively, any such architecture that enables the systems and methods described herein may be used.

During operation, theIEPS306 monitors the truth value of thetrigger event conditions332 associated with theinformational event310. Upon occurrence of the informational event (i.e., when the trigger event configuration information is satisfied), theinformational element322 is displayed to one or more of the selected display interfaces344. In some embodiments, at the time the trigger event configuration information is satisfied (i.e., at the time theinformational event310 occurs), theinformational element322 may be populated with outside data fromdata sources324 prior to presentation to theuser302.

In some embodiments, one or more of the user's302

computing devices

304 and/or344 are programmed to manageinformational event310, and may also be configured as one of the target display interfaces of the list of available display interfaces342. In other embodiments, such as in networked environment100 (shown inFIG. 1), configuration information forinformational events310 may be stored and/or otherwise managed, in a client-server fashion, using a centralized server system such as IMS114 (shown inFIG. 1). As such, trigger event configuration information may be monitored and/or evaluated, including the collection and analysis of data used by thetrigger events332, by either the user'scomputing devices304 and/or344 orIMS114.

In some embodiments, the various functions ofIEPS306 may be performed by a single computing device, such as user access device108 orcomputing device304. In other embodiments, the various functions ofIEPS306 may be performed by multiple computing devices. For example, in one embodiment, theuser302 may have a desktop computing device such ascomputing device304 from which they configureinformational events310. The informational events may be stored on and/or monitored byIMS114, and the informational event may be displayed on a mobile computing device such as user access device108.

In situations in which the systems discussed here collect personal information about users, or may make use of personal information, the users may be provided with an opportunity to control whether programs or features collect user information (e.g., information about a user's social network, social actions or activities, profession, a user's preferences, or a user's current location), or to control whether and/or how to receive content from the content server that may be more relevant to the user. In addition, certain data may be treated in one or more ways before it is stored or used, so that personally identifiable information is removed. For example, a user's identity may be treated so that no personally identifiable information can be determined for the user, or a user's geographic location may be generalized where location information is obtained (such as to a city, ZIP code, or state level), so that a particular location of a user cannot be determined. Thus, the user may have control over how information is collected about the user and used by a content server.

FIG. 4 is anexample method400 for configuring the IEPS306 (shown inFIG. 3) and delivering informational events310 (shown inFIG. 3) to a user usingcomputing device304 and/or344 (shown inFIG. 3), computing device200 (shown inFIG. 2), or the computing devices shown in networked environment100 (shown inFIG. 1). In the example embodiment,method400 includes receiving410, into the memory from the user of the computing device, content configuration information defining a first informational element. In some embodiments, a data source is associated with the content configuration information. In other embodiments, data is retrieved450 from the data source after the occurrence of a trigger event.Method400 also includes receiving420, into the memory from the user of the computing device, trigger event configuration information associated with a trigger event. In some embodiments, the trigger event configuration information includes a plurality of trigger events, one or more of which may be an activity event condition (i.e., indicating when the user is engaged in a first activity), a time-based condition, and a travel mode condition.

Method

400 further includes receiving430, into the memory from the user of the computing device, target display interface configuration information defining a target display interface. In some embodiments,method400 includes monitoring440 status of the first set of one or more conditions (i.e., monitoring the truth value of thetrigger conditions332 shown inFIG. 3).Method400 also includes displaying460 the first informational element within the target display interface upon the occurrence of the trigger event. In some embodiments, the first informational element is only displayed when the trigger conditions are satisfied.

FIG. 5 is a diagram500 of components of an informational event presentation system (IEPS)306. In the example embodiment,IEPS306 uses one or more computing devices, for example IMS114 (shown inFIG. 1) and/or computing device200 (shown inFIG. 2).FIG. 5 further shows a configuration of adatabase510 which is coupled to several separate components withinIEPS306, which perform specific tasks.

In an example embodiment,database510 is divided into a plurality of sections, including but not limited to, a contentconfiguration information section520, a trigger eventconfiguration information section522, a target display interfaceconfiguration information section524, and anexternal data section526. These sections withindatabase510 are interconnected to retrieve information pertaining to the operations and components described below. In some embodiments,database510 is similar to database126 (shown inFIG. 1).

IEPS

306 further includes aconfiguration component530 for receiving configuration information associated with informational events310 (shown inFIG. 3), includingcontent configuration information520, triggerevent configuration information522, and target displayinterface configuration information524.IEPS306 also includes a monitoring andretrieval component540 for monitoringtrigger events332 and retrieving data fromdata sources324 for informational elements322 (shown inFIG. 3).IEPS306 additionally includes adelivery component550 for presenting informational events tousers302 through the target display interfaces344.IEPS306 additionally includes a processing component660 for performing other operations associated with identifying relationships between content items.

It will be appreciated that the above embodiments that have been described in particular detail are merely example or possible embodiments, and that there are many other combinations, additions, or alternatives that may be included.

Also, the particular naming of the components, capitalization of terms, the attributes, data structures, or any other programming or structural aspect is not mandatory or significant, and the mechanisms that implement the embodiments or its features may have different names, formats, or protocols. Further, the system may be implemented via a combination of hardware and software, as described, or entirely in hardware elements. Also, the particular division of functionality between the various system components described herein is merely exemplary, and not mandatory; functions performed by a single system component may instead be performed by multiple components, and functions performed by multiple components may instead performed by a single component.

Some portions of above description present features in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on information. These algorithmic descriptions and representations may be used by those skilled in the data processing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. These operations, while described functionally or logically, are understood to be implemented by computer programs. Furthermore, it has also proven convenient at times, to refer to these arrangements of operations as modules or by functional names, without loss of generality.

Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the above discussion, it is appreciated that throughout the description, discussions utilizing terms such as “processing” or “computing” or “calculating” or “determining” or “displaying” or “providing” “retrieving” “receiving” or the like, refer to the action and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computer system memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices.

Based on the foregoing specification, the above-discussed embodiments of the disclosure may be implemented using computer programming or engineering techniques including computer software, firmware, hardware or any combination or subset thereof. Any such resulting program, having computer-readable and/or computer-executable instructions, may be embodied or provided within one or more computer-readable media, thereby making a computer program product, i.e., an article of manufacture, according to the discussed embodiments of the disclosure. The computer readable media may be, for instance, a fixed (hard) drive, diskette, optical disk, magnetic tape, semiconductor memory such as read-only memory (ROM) or flash memory, etc., or any transmitting/receiving medium such as the Internet or other communication network or link. The article of manufacture containing the computer code may be made and/or used by executing the instructions directly from one medium, by copying the code from one medium to another medium, or by transmitting the code over a network.

These computer programs (also known as programs, software, software applications or code) include machine instructions for a programmable processor, and can be implemented in a high-level procedural and/or object-oriented programming language, and/or in assembly/machine language. As used herein, the terms “machine-readable medium” “computer-readable medium” refers to any computer program product, apparatus and/or device (e.g., magnetic discs, optical disks, memory, Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs)) used to provide machine instructions and/or data to a programmable processor, including a machine-readable medium that receives machine instructions as a machine-readable signal. The “machine-readable medium” and “computer-readable medium,” however, do not include transitory signals. The term “machine-readable signal” refers to any signal used to provide machine instructions and/or data to a programmable processor.

While the disclosure has been described in terms of various specific embodiments, it will be recognized that the disclosure can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method for delivering informational events to a user of a computing device, the computing device including a processor and a memory, said method comprising:

receiving, into the memory from the user of the computing device, content configuration information defining a first informational element;

receiving, into the memory from the user of the computing device, trigger event configuration information associated with a trigger event;

receiving, into the memory from the user of the computing device, target display interface configuration information defining a target display interface;

determining, by the processor, that the trigger event is satisfied based on the trigger event configuration information;

automatically retrieving the first informational element based on the content configuration information when the trigger event is satisfied; and

transmitting the first informational element to the target display interface.

2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein receiving trigger event configuration information comprises a trigger event including of one or more conditions, each of the one or more conditions defining a result that can be determined by the processor.

3. The method ofclaim 2 further comprising monitoring, by the processor, a status of the first set of one or more conditions.

4. The method ofclaim 1, wherein receiving trigger event configuration information further comprises receiving trigger event configuration information wherein the trigger event includes an activity event condition that is satisfied based on when the user is engaged in a first activity.

5. The method ofclaim 1, wherein receiving content configuration information comprises receiving content configuration information including a data source associated with the first informational element, and wherein retrieving the first informational element comprises retrieving the first informational element from the data source.

6. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising presenting to the user a graphical user interface on the computing device in which the user configures one or more of the content configuration information, the trigger event configuration information, and the target display interface configuration information.

7. The method ofclaim 6 further comprising:

presenting to the user, via the graphical user interface, a list including a plurality of target display interfaces; and

receiving, from the user via the graphical user interface, a selection of a target display interface from the plurality of target display interfaces, the selected target display interface being included in the target display interface configuration information.

8. The method ofclaim 1, wherein receiving content configuration information further comprises defining the first informational element to include web analytics data.

9. A computer system comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by said at least one processor, cause said at least one processor to:

receive content configuration information defining a first informational element;

receive trigger event configuration information associated with a trigger event;

receive target display interface configuration information defining a target display interface;

determine that the trigger event is satisfied based on the trigger event configuration information;

automatically retrieve the first informational element based on the content configuration information when the trigger event is satisfied; and

transmit the first informational element to the target display interface.

10. The computer system ofclaim 9, wherein the trigger event includes a one or more conditions, each of the one or more conditions, wherein each of the one or more conditions defines a result that can be determined by the processor.

11. The computer system ofclaim 10, wherein, when executed by said at least one processor, the computer-executable instructions further cause said at least one processor to monitor a status of the first set of one or more conditions.

12. The computer system ofclaim 11, wherein the trigger event further includes an activity event condition that is satisfied based on when the user is engaged in a first activity.

13. The computer system ofclaim 9, wherein the content configuration information includes a data source associated with the first informational element, and wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause said at least one processor to retrieve the first informational element from the data source.

14. The computer system ofclaim 9, wherein, when executed by said at least one processor, the computer-executable instructions further cause said at least one processor to present to the user a graphical user interface on the computing device in which the user configures one or more of the content configuration information, the trigger event configuration information, and the target display interface configuration information.

15. The computer system ofclaim 14, wherein, when executed by said at least one processor, the computer-executable instructions further cause said at least one processor to:

present to the user, via the graphical user interface, a list including a plurality of target display interfaces; and

receive, from the user via the graphical user interface, a selection of a target display interface from the plurality of target display interfaces, the selected target display interface being included in the target display interface configuration information.

16. The computer system ofclaim 9, wherein the first informational element is defined to include web analytics data.

17. Computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon, wherein, when executed by at least one processor, the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to:

retrieve the first informational element based on the content configuration information when the trigger event is satisfied; and

transmit the first informational element to the target display interface.

18. The computer program product ofclaim 17, wherein the trigger event configuration information comprises a trigger event including a first set of one or more conditions, each of the one or more conditions defining a result that can be determined by the processor.

19. The computer program product ofclaim 18, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to monitor status of the first set of one or more conditions.

20. The computer program product ofclaim 19, wherein the trigger event further includes an activity event condition that is satisfied based on when a user is engaged in a first activity.

21. The computer program product ofclaim 17, wherein the content configuration information includes a data source associated with the first informational element, and wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the at least one processor to retrieve the first informational element from the data source.

22. The computer program product ofclaim 17, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to present to a user a graphical user interface on the computing device in which the user configures one or more of the content configuration information, the trigger event configuration information, and the target display interface configuration information.

23. The computer program product ofclaim 22, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to:

24. The computer program product ofclaim 17, wherein the first informational element is defined to include web analytics data.